Hexley update

As promised, here is an update on my Hexley project!

I've spent some time working in my sketchbook developing some of the background to the town as well as researching costumes and everyday Victorian things to use in my illustrations.

The six outer settlements around the town of Hexley are now villages with proper names:

* Little Hexing __ (Welcome Centre)

* Cogcott __ (Transporation Centre)

* Swinworth __ (Zoologoy Centre)

* Hytheby __ (Oceanography Centre)

* Totfeld __ (Climatology Centre)

* Ryeham __ (Farming and Botany Centre)

Inspired by Victorian photographs, I have also been working on a series of illustrations on the people of Hexley. Here is a rough idea for Elizabeth Bridges - made using a combination of scanned pencil sketches and digital painting.

I've had a busy few weeks - it's not quite over yet either. On Saturday I will be exhibiting 2 paintings in the art exhibition at the Tendring Show. It's a big annual country show with over 20,000 visitors. I'm looking forward to visiting - especially seeing all the animals, it should be a good day for gathering reference photographs, sketching and having fun too!

Over the next few weeks I'm hoping that I can find a better balance between working on my online shops (photographing/ listing items etc) and creating new illustrations. There are so many ideas I have for new designs, it's just trying to get everything done! There is my new exciting project to be working on too - I'm organising a Christmas Craft Fayre in my village. I'm in the very early stages of planning still but should be finalising details like time/ place/ number of stalls etc soon. :)